Improved bedstead



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i @abated DANIEL WITT, OF HUBBARDSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. Lawn Parmi No.' 86,892, @ad Femm; 9,1869.

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The Schedule referred to in these Letters P atent and making part of the same.

To all 'whom 'it may concern:

Beit known that I, DANIEL WITT, of Hubbardston, in the county of Worcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bedsteads; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, sufficient to enable others skilled in the 'art to which my invention appertains, to fully understand the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specication, and in which- Figure l is a longitudinal vertical section of a bedstead made according to my invention, and

Figure 2, a top view thereof, showing the bedstead in one of the positions which it may be made to assume.

My invention consists- First, in pivoting or hingin g the side rails to the end sections, whereby a bedstead is produced which can be so moved in a small room as to allow access to all parts of the latter'.

Second, my invention consists in a peculiar application of springs, which are placed around each pivot or pintle, so' as totsupport the rails of the bedstead.

Finally, my invention consists in the peculiar construction and application of a head-rest; all of which will hereinafter be more fully described.

In order to enable others so to understand my invention as to be able to construct and use my improved bedstead, I will now proceed to describe the same in detail, referring to the accompanying drawing wherein similar letters indicate correspondingparts in the several figures.

In the drawings- A A' represent the head and foot-sections, respectively.

About the construction of these parts, there is nothing peculiar.

" B B are the side rails, to each end of which are at'- tached two plates,'c a', one above and one below.

These plates extend beyond the ends of the rail, and through these extensions are made holes for the passage of the pintle C.

The portion of the lower plates c', surrounding the openings, is made thicker than the body of the plate, to form a good bearing-surface for the pintle( This latter is supported in L-shaped brackets, c, at-v tached, as shown, to the posts of the bedstead.

The pintle is provided with a head, c', and a nut, d, is screwed on to its lower end.

-It will be seen that rby thus hinging the rails to the end sections, a bedstead is produced which may be made to assume various positions, such, for instance, as is shown in fig. 2.

In sweeping an apartment or making a bed, it is necessary to get on all sides of the bedstead. In most cases, in order to do this, it is necessary to move the bedstead bodily. This, in small and crowded rooms, 1s often almost impossible. Now, suppose one of my bedsteads to be situated in the corner of a room, so that one side and the head of' the bedstead are against the wall. When it is desired to gain access to that side of the bedstead which is against the wall, it is only necessary to take hold of the outer end of the footsection,- and draw out the same. The head-section remains in place, but the foot-section and the side rail are drawn out from the wall, leaving room for a person to get in between said wall and bedstead. The foot-seci tion may then be pushed back and the head-end drawn out. By thus moving the bedstead, access may behad to all sides of it, even in a very contracted space, and the `ioor under the bed may be easily swept.

Another advantage of thus hinging the parts together, consists in the facility of moving the entire bed from one room to another, through an ordinary door. In case of sudden emergencies, as lire, or the rmoval of a sick person, this will be espcially valua le. i

E are slats, pivoted to the side rails ofthe bedstead by means of screws passing through slots made in the ends of the slats. I do not confine myself to slats, as cords may be used.

To prevent the accidental movement of the hinged rails, I have provided hooks, e, which are secured, by meansof eyes, to the foot-section, and which catch into eyes, f, applied to the rails.

When o ut of use, these hooks may be supported in f a staple, g, secured to the centre of the lower crosspiece of the foot-section.

F are spiral springs encircling the pintle O, between the lower brackets and the plates attached to the side rails. These springs support the side rails and the bedding, and render the bed-bottom elastic. v

The head-rest G takes the place of the upper slat. It is hung by hooks fixed in its edge to eyes attached to the upper ends of blocks H.

To the lower ends of these blocks are axed slotted plates h. l

Each plate is provided on its outside with a lug or tooth, which engages with a series of teeth formed onl plates t' t, attached, one to each rail of the bedstead.

The blocks H are held by screws, k, passing through the slots in the plates 7|. and into the plates t'.

The rest G may be supported, either vertically, or at an angle, the slots in the plates c' allowing the teeth on said plates to engage with either tooth on the plates i. This head-rest is especially intended for sick persons. It is supported in a horizontal position by screws, l, Xed in the side rails.

The advantages of my bedstead are obvious, and will be appreciated by the sick, and by those who are come pelled to move often from place to place, and live in contracted apartments.

Having thusdescribed my invention,

What I` claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

I. The side rails and end-sections, hinged together by mezms of pintles C, whereby the bed is allowed' lateral motions on both sides, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The springs F, encircling the pintles C of the hinges which connect the rails with the'end-seotions, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The head-rest, consisting of the slet G, blocks H, having slotted plates h and serrated plates i, all constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as herein set forth.

The above signed by me, this 17th day of December,

Witnesses:

JOHN A. WIEDnRsHEIM, GEO. W. ROTHWELL.

DANIEL WITT. 

